'We are proud': Cabinet Secretary hails Glasgow hub for tackling child poverty
Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP visited the Wise Group's Glasgow hub to meet mentors, customers and partners delivering the Scottish Government-backed Relational Mentoring Scotland (RMS) service.
This visit follows her £2.2 million investment in the Whole Family Relational Mentoring service designed to help eradicate child poverty.
The scheme provides intensive, personalised support to families facing multiple challenges including housing, mental health and unemployment.
It aims to integrate with public services to deliver better, joined-up outcomes.
During her visit, Somerville awarded the Relational Mentoring Changemaker Award, acknowledging dedication to helping families achieve sustainable change.
She said: 'It was good to meet mentors and those supported through the programme, which is providing life-changing support in areas such as employability and skills, improving household finances, and mental health and wellbeing.
'Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government's top priority and we are committed to doing all we can to support families with the cost of living including offering free school meals to more than 270,000 pupils, free bus travel for 2.3 million people and early learning and childcare worth more than £6000 per eligible child every year – demonstrating our determination to invest in our communities when they need it most.'
Read more: New programme launched to help people in Glasgow get back into work
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Wise Group mentors (Image: Supplied)
Read more: 'Wonderful' housing and care campus praised as Cabinet Secretary visits site
The Wise Group's data shows that 98% of people supported have needs across at least three areas.
Progress in one area, like housing, often leads to improvements in others, such as health or employability.
The Whole Family model is now informing wider conversations around public service reform and child poverty prevention.
Sean Duffy, chief executive of the Wise Group, said: 'The Cabinet Secretary's investment in this service is making a real and measurable difference.
'Our mentors walk alongside families – not just signposting, but staying the course.
'The integration we've seen with local authorities, health and employment services is key to the outcomes we're achieving.
'Today's visit affirms what we know to be true: that ending poverty means transforming how support is delivered, not just what is delivered.
'We are proud to be part of that mission.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Deserted 'litter trap' Post Office up for sale for £500k
A deserted Post Office and yoga studio previously branded a "litter trap" has hit the market for half a million pounds. The old Post Office at 117 West Street in Fareham was called a "destination for anti-social behaviour" by Fareham Borough Council planning officers. It has stood vacant since March 2017. But it is hoped the building can get a new lease of life as it is now up for sale for £500,000, with developers able to transform the building due to fresh planning permission being granted. Potential buyers can turn the first floor into five one-bedroom flats, while also retaining the downstairs space for further commercial activity. It would be the first time in eight years that the building would be actively trading commercially. READ MORE: Beloved Grade II restaurant in former church up for sale In their report to the application, a Fareham Borough Council planning officer said the vacant property had previously become a "litter trap" and a "destination for anti-social behaviour" due to the set back of the ground floor. The concrete 1960s building "does not respond well to the character and appearance of West Street", the officer continued. But the property's listing, advertised by estate agents Primmer Olds BAS, said the building is in a location of high footfall with a "prominent road side position". The estate agents said the property is "suitable for a variety of uses" and it is a neighbour to nearby occupiers like McDonalds, Cex and Nationwide. READ MORE: Grade II-listed pub in national park is up for sale The closure of the Post Office in March 2017 was controversial at the time, as operations moved into a branch of WHSmith, now called TGJones, on the same road. A spokesperson for the Post Office reassured customers that the same products and services would still be available. Fareham Borough Council had formally written to the organisation at the time to ask them to "hold off" from the move which went ahead regardless. The executive leader of the local authority at the time, Councillor Sean Woodward, called the move a "scandalous waste of public money to pay a lease for another five years on the existing post office while moving it to an inconvenient upstairs location in WH Smith".
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How the UK's huge debt pile compares with other nations
UK chancellor Rachel Reeves remains under intense pressure to tackle mounting government debt. On Wednesday, UK think tank National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) released a report forecasting that Reeves was on course to miss her borrowing targets by £41.2bn. The think tank also posed a solution: Reeves should raise taxes immediately. It recommended "a moderate but sustained increase", including reform of the council tax system to make up the shortfall. Shop Top Mortgage Rates Personalized rates in minutes A quicker path to financial freedom Your Path to Homeownership Getting debt on a downward path has been flagged as a priority for the government. In July, Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, said: 'We are committed to tough fiscal rules, so we do not borrow for day-to-day spending and get debt down as a share of our economy." Read more: UK taxpayers 'subsidising' S&P 500, says LSEG boss The recent sharp selloff in government bonds – known as gilts in the UK – has pushed yields higher, further adding to the debt pile. The UK is far from alone in its concerns about growing debt, though, particularly in the wake of US president Donald Trump's tariff threats. Data compiled by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showed the debt-to-GDP ratio – a signifier that the country will face difficulties servicing its debt – of the UK and other leading economies. The UK's ratio stands at 104%, according to the data. Japan tops the IMF's list by a long margin, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 235% – more than double that of the UK. Japan has traditionally relied on longer-dated bond yields to navigate its huge debt. However, buyers have recently begun to turn their backs on the Japanese bond market, sparking concern for the country's long-term financial outlook. Read more: Europe's most expensive city revealed, as living costs near £3,500 per month Meanwhile, the US has the second-highest debt-to-GDP ratio of the listed countries, with a total of 123%. Worries about the country's mounting debt have been growing throughout 2025. Trump's tax-cut bill, which was signed into law in July, has heightened these concerns. This chart uses the IMF's data to compare the debt-to-GDP ratio of selected leading economies, revealing stark differences and approaches to public in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Fed pick, Bank of England's 'hawkish' cut weigh on dollar
By Jaspreet Kalra and Ankur Banerjee SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The dollar was under pressure on Friday and was on course for a weekly fall as U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary choice for a fill-in Federal Reserve Governor stoked expectations for a dovish pick to replace chair Jerome Powell when his term ends. Sterling hovered near a two-week high, clinging to Thursday's sharp gains as the Bank of England cut interest rates but only after a narrow 5-4 vote, which showed the central bank's easing bias lacked conviction. Meanwhile, Trump's decision to nominate Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to serve on a newly vacant seat at the Fed, while White House seeks a permanent addition, weighed on the dollar. Miran replaces Governor Adriana Kugler following her surprise resignation last week. "While we expect Miran to advocate for lower interest rates, we do not consider he will push the FOMC to cut the Funds rate if the data does not support a cut," said Joseph Capurso, head of international economics at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "Depending on the president's perception of his performance, he may also be a contender to replace Chair Powell when his term ends in May." Trump has repeatedly criticised Powell for not cutting interest rates, and while he has backed off threats to oust Powell before his term ends on May 15, has accelerated the search for a replacement. Fed Governor Christopher Waller is emerging as a top candidate to be the next chair, Bloomberg news reported on Thursday. Against a basket of peers, the dollar is down nearly 0.7% on the week so far as concerns over softening U.S. economic momentum, especially in the labour market, boosted hopes of Fed rate cuts. The dollar index was last at 98.04 in early trading on Friday. The Japanese yen was flat at 147.07 per dollar. Adam Grotzinger, senior fixed income portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman, expects four consecutive rate cuts from the Fed totalling 100 basis points, starting later this year and finishing early next year. "When we're looking at economic data, don't be surprised by softer prints coming in on the economy in Q3," Grotzinger said. "That said, for the full year we expect kind of an okay growth, but slower than the last couple years." Traders are pricing in a 93% chance of a rate cut in September with at least two rate cuts priced in by the end of the year. Atlanta Fed president Raphael Bostic said on Thursday that while risks to the job market have increased, it remains too soon to commit to rate cuts with more data lined up ahead of the Fed's policy review scheduled for September 16-17. The BOE's split vote on Thursday showed policymakers remained concerned about still high inflation, even as it cut rates. The pound was nearly flat at $1.3439 on Friday, holding the previous session's gains and on course to clock its best weekly performance since late June. The vote-split in the BoE meeting "implies one of the most hawkish versions of a 25bp cut that reasonable could have been expected," analysts at Goldman Sachs said. Elsewhere, the euro was perched near a two-week high as investors found comfort in the prospect of talks between the U.S. and Russia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday. This would mark the first summit between leaders of the U.S. and Russia since June 2021. With the Kremlin announcing summit plans, "geopolitics are in the spotlight and likely to be the major driver of FX markets heading into the weekend," analysts at ANZ wrote in a Friday note. Sign in to access your portfolio
